


We Are One

by JasmineRey



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Jedi Master Leia Organa, Jedi Training (Star Wars), Mentors, Motivational Speeches, Padawan Rey (Star Wars), Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Pre-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:33:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28789527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasmineRey/pseuds/JasmineRey
Summary: "We stand by your side, Rey," Leia affirmed, wholeheartedly. "You're not alone anymore. You're part of something much bigger. A crucial part. You, just as you are. Do you understand?"
Relationships: Leia Organa & Rey
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	We Are One

Stinging pain exploded in Rey's upper arm as a blast, fired from the training remote, struck her. She cursed under her breath. Though she could not see the floating sphere through the shield of the training helmet, she could sense her target, hovering in front of her in mid-air. She clenched her teeth, anger flaring inside of her, as she prepared to lunge into another attack on the taunting thing. To destroy it. 

The training remote buzzed around her, firing in a dizzying array. Rey swung her lightsaber furiously to deflect each attack. Much to her irritation, the sphere continued to dart around her, in front of her one moment then behind her the next. She swung again, this time with an intent of attack, throwing her full strength into the movement. But the droid evaded her strike and, taking advantage of her lack of defence, fired another stinging blast this time into her left shoulder. 

As she stumbled back, cursing again, Rey felt a surge of anger burn in her stomach and chest.

 _I'm letting my anger fuel me_ , she realised, her heart sinking in disappointment at her own lack of control. _Jedi aren't supposed to do that._

But what was she supposed to do? Though she could counter almost every shot the remote fired from its multiple ports, she could not find an opening to attack successfully. Frustration ate away at her patience. A flurried storm of thoughts, feelings and worries clouded her mind, making it difficult for her to truly connect with the Force, in mind and body, and allow it to guide her actions.

 _Whenever I attack, I get struck_ , she thought wearily. A small part of her just wanted to surrender to her spherical opponent and collapse in a heap right there on the jungle floor. _I keep making the wrong decision_.

That was the fear and worry that lay rooted beneath her anger and frustration. Rey had no doubt that she was a strong and capable fighter. She had no doubt that she was powerful and strong with the Force. But a Jedi? A leader? A figure of hope? 

It was one thing to mess up in training; it was another to mess up in battle, while defending others, when lives were at stake. 

Sudden stinging pain pulled Rey from her thoughts and back into the humid jungle as another blast hit her upper arm. She clutched her arm and let out a growl of frustration and pain. A sinking feeling of defeat and disappointment settled in the pit of her stomach. She retracted the training helmet's shield, breathing heavily. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and sweat dripped down her face and neck. 

"I think that's enough of that for one day."

Rey turned at the sound of Leia's calm, even voice. 

"No," she insisted, shaking her head. "I can keep going."

Leia smiled. It was the response she had expected from her stubborn, determined, hardworking student. Rey was not the sort of person to give up easily, and that was a great quality in both a learner and a fighter. Unfortunately that stubborn determination at times morphed into the habit of working herself past the point of effective productivity and into exhaustion of both the physical and mental variety (a less than desirable habit she shared with her master). 

On top of all that, Leia knew there was something troubling Rey. She could see it. _Feel_ it.

She strode towards Rey. "You're frustrated," she said gently, a simple observation. "You need a break."

Rey shook her head again, more adamantly than before. "I'm not –"

Leia gave her a look, one that somehow displayed insistence, amusement, concern, and fondness all at once. A wordless persuasion to put aside her stubbornness and pride for the moment and listen to the guidance of her master. 

It was a look Rey could not ignore. She sighed. 

"Walk with me," Leia said, gesturing towards a faint jungle path shrouded in thick greenery. 

Rey nodded. "Yes, Master." She quickly removed her training helmet and returned the saber to her belt. 

A strange yet delighted expression spread across Leia's face. She was still not quite accustomed to the new title, but she could not help but feel a spark of joy when Rey said it. It was a pleasant reminder of the relationship they were building – one of mentorship, learning, guidance, support, respect, compassion, and love. It was precious to her, something she cherished deeply and took much pride in. 

The two women wandered through the soft sheltering greenness, Leia leading the way. The air was warm and wet, but the shade of the trees offered some coolness. The jungle hummed with life. A gentle symphony of rustles, chirps, and buzzes emanated from the vegetation around them. 

Rey followed Leia silently through the trees. Already her fierce frustration had started to settle, calmed by the natural peace and harmony of her surroundings. As they ventured further and further, her curiosity piqued as she wondered where exactly Leia was leading them. She was about to ask when she noticed the light pouring in through a wide opening in the trees up ahead. Within moments, they emerged from the jungle thicket into the open air of a smooth, rocky cliff-edge, overlooking the vast green of a jungle valley below. The openness of the space immediately felt pleasant and welcoming to Rey. Warm, glowing sunlight bathed the area with its golden rays, and a gentle breeze swept through, rustling the leaves of the trees and brushing. She gazed in awe at the clear blue sky above her, at the lush green vegetation filling the space below her. The surroundings brought her an immediate sense of peace, a calming and revitalising relief. She relished in the feeling, allowing it to flow through her and fill every space inside of her. She welcomed the feeling of the sun soaking into her skin, filling her with warmth, of the gentle breeze caressing her cheeks.

The Force thrummed through it all. Rey could feel it. She closed her eyes for a moment and reached out, opening herself up to the energy surrounding her. Light. Flowing. Alive. Pulsing. Breathing. Connecting everything. Every organism, every cycle, holding the ecosystem in balance. Rey felt it settle something inside of her – her breathing, her heart's beating, her emotions, her racing thoughts – everything seemed to find its way back into balance, as if she were one with the Force and the life that surrounded her, a system working in harmony. 

Leia moved to take a seat on the warm, rocky surface. Rey set herself down beside her master, and the two sat in complete silence for a moment, taking in the beauty and peace of their surroundings. Rey could not tear her eyes away from the beauty before her. She continued to gaze, mesmerised, in awe at the sight, smiling with a childlike wonder that prompted Leia to smile too.

"It's beautiful," Rey breathed, quietly, as if she feared disturbing the blissful peace of the space. 

Leia nodded. "It certainly is."

The quiet returned, though Rey could sense her master's wordless invitation for her to fill it, to release her worries, fears and frustrations out into the open, if she wanted to. She hesitated, still unaccustomed to putting her emotions into words that made sense, and to burdening others with her troubles. 

_"If you're worried about burdening me with your concerns, don't. I'd rather worry with you than worry about the fact that you're worrying all alone,"_ Leia had told her recently. _"I'm always here if you need me. Or want me. And even if you don't want me or need me, I'm still around here somewhere."_

Rey took a deep breath and sighed. 

"I'm not sure I'm cut out for this," she admitted, looking down at the rocky surface beneath her, which felt pleasantly warm against her legs. "I know I'm strong with the Force, and I can fight, but..."

"But being a Jedi is much more than that," Leia said, finishing her sentence. 

"Yes. Exactly." Rey lifted her eyes to meet Leia's. "And I'm not sure if I am... all that," she said. "I'm not sure if I can be what everyone needs me to be. What you need me to be."

"Rey," said Leia, both her eyes and her voice filled with fondness and sincerity. "I don't need you to be anyone but yourself." 

Rey sighed. "But I don't know what I'm doing," she said. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm just... doing things, following your guidance, and hoping I'm doing it all right."

Leia smiled and exhaled in amusement. "Well," she said, "it's good to know we're on the same page then." 

Leia often worried if she was doing this whole Jedi training thing right. She hoped so, for Rey's sake. She reasoned with herself that what she had to offer Rey was surely better than nothing, and perhaps the less formal Jedi training, specifically tailored to Rey herself, was exactly what the girl needed. It was a journey of trial and error, of doing what felt right. Things that worked well often became routine; things that didn't often became amusing stories they laughed about later. Most importantly, the journey was one they were taking together, carving their own new path. Often times, Leia felt equally as much a student, learning as she was teaching, embracing the life lessons Rey unknowingly taught her along the way. There was a beauty in the chaos of it all, just as there was with life itself. 

"Nobody has everything all figured out, Rey," she told her apprentice. "We're all just going through life, doing our best, trying to do what's right, and hoping it's enough."

Rey crinkled her brow, and the worry in her eyes deepened. "But what if I mess it all up?" she asked, though it was more a confession of her own fears than it was a question. "Can I really trust myself to make the right decisions?"

Leia reached over and rested a comforting hand on her knee. "Rey," she said, "as you go through life, you'll see that there's so much we don't understand. So much of the bigger picture that we don't see. We can never be sure of where life is taking us, or where our actions will lead. Sometimes, the only thing we can really be sure of is that things don't always go the way we plan. We can't prevent things we can't foresee. Some things are just out of our control, beyond our understanding and power – but that doesn't mean we have to give up and turn away from it all."

"I know," Rey said. "I guess sometimes I just get too caught up in doubting myself. I'm still not used to being... important."

The words sparked a painful ache in Leia's heart. The thought of Rey living her whole young life without any sense of her own value and worth evoked a sorrow deep in her core. It also sparked a small, burning anger, the desire to give the entire wretched desert of Jakku a piece of her mind and the back of her hand for what it had done to the girl's sense of self-worth. She deserved so much more than the miserable hand life had dealt her. So much more. Leia knew it would take more than a few kind words to heal the deeply entrenched sense of unimportance in Rey, but that would not stop her from saying them anyway, day in and day out, until they were finally etched on the girl's heart and mind, until they filled all those empty spaces within her, and she truly started to believe them. 

She looked her apprentice directly in the eyes, wanting to ensure she didn't just hear every word, but felt them, and understood them. And if she didn't believe them, at the very least she would know that Leia believed them, wholeheartedly, with every fibre of her being. "You are strong with the Force, Rey. Magnificently strong," she said, with unwavering honesty, conviction, and sincerity. "And not just that – you have the heart of a Jedi. The spirit. That light is inside of _you._ It always has been. I felt it from the moment I first met you on D'Qar." 

Rey's eyes widened in joyous disbelief, her face lighting up with a pure brightness. A pleasant warmth swelled in her chest, like a loving embrace around her heart. "Really?"

Leia nodded, the corners of her eyes creasing as her mouth curled into a close-lipped smile. "Yes," she said. "And your journey has only begun. Your knowledge, your power, your strength, your connection with the Force – it's growing every day." She paused for a moment, regarding Rey with a soft gaze, then sighed. "I know life hasn't been the kindest to you. I know you've suffered, but the fact that you're sitting here right now means that you fought through all of that. You're resilient. You fought through that all alone, relying on your own strength. But now, you have another strength – you're not alone anymore."

"The Jedi who have come before us are still with us, present within the Force itself," she reminded Rey. "We have their guidance, wisdom and strength." 

Leia thought fondly of her brother. Though Luke was no longer with her in a physical sense, the man was far from absent. In a way, it felt as if he were always with her. His voice echoing in her mind was a comfort, even on the occasions when she elected to ignore what he said. She treasured his presence, truly; they had spent far too much of their lives apart. She knew Rey longed to speak with him too, though he was yet to respond to her attempts at reaching out to him. But Leia knew Luke watched over the girl, and that he would answer her call when the time was right. 

"You also have the Resistance," Leia continued. "You're one of us now, and it's a part of our duty to support one another. Nobody in the Resistance fights alone. We all have each other's backs."

Rey still found herself surprised at times by the warm smiles that greeted her around the base everyday, by people asking how she was, offering to help her with tasks, thanking her for helping them, sitting and eating meals with her, and inviting her to join them in various activities. She had found several close companions among her Resistance comrades, most notably Finn, Poe, Chewie, and Leia herself. Each filled a special, treasured place in her heart. It had all started with her and Finn – two lost souls who abruptly put an end to each other's lives of harshness, cruelty and loneliness, and instead filled it with warmth, light, adventure, freedom, purpose, hope, and love. Whether their meeting was serendipitous or written in the stars, no one would ever know, but it didn't matter. They belonged in each other's lives because they chose to, leaving their former lives behind and running hand in hand towards a different destiny. That decision led Rey to many people she could no longer imagine her life without. After years of isolation, loneliness, and carrying her heavy burdens incessantly on her own shoulders, the support, care and companionship she now received filled her with so much warmth and emotion she felt as though her heart might burst. 

As a scavenger, she had found many valuable things, sometimes by accident – these people, her friends, were by far her best, most cherished find. She would not trade them for all the portions and credits in the galaxy. 

"And, of course," Leia said, taking Rey's hand in hers, "you have me." She smiled warmly. "We are one, you and I. Master and apprentice. A team."

_A family._

Rey felt Leia's unspoken words, and the rush of love and affection that came with them. Her heart warmed and swelled. There was a hole in Rey's heart that still ached for a mother, someone to teach her, guide her, care for her, comfort her, and love her. Leia filled that hole, in many ways. She was everything Rey dreamed a mother would be, and more. For the first time, Rey began to wonder if perhaps she filled a sort of hole in Leia's heart too. A lump formed in her throat and tears sprang to her eyes.

Smiling softly, tears welling in her own eyes, Leia placed a gentle hand against Rey's cheek. "Teaching you, watching you grow in the ways of the Force, it fills me with so much hope and pride. I'm honoured to be your master, Rey, and I swear I will do everything I can to support you on your journey."

Rey opened her mouth to speak, but found she did not have the words. Instead, she found herself smiling so wide her cheeks began to ache. The sun began to lower, painting warm hues of purple, pink and orange across the sky, and a cool evening breeze swept through the vast space. Feelings of peace and harmony settled inside of Rey. She met her master's gaze, deep brown eyes filled with honesty and fondness, shining with passion, sparkling with hope, and belief, without a shadow of doubt. 

Leia believed in her. She believed in them. 

Master and apprentice. 

A team.

_(A family)._

They would take on whatever tribulation the galaxy threw their way.

And they would do it together. 

"Whenever you doubt," Leia continued fervently, looking her in the eyes, "whenever you feel the weight of the galaxy pressing down on you, when you feel small, or you're in a battle you feel like you just can't win, I want you to stop for a moment and just _feel_. Feel the Force, that energy that surrounds you, that binds you to every living thing. Remember that you are a part of it and it is a part of you. And feel the presence of the people around you, the people in your life that have your back, that are fighting by your side. Remember that they are with you. In these things you will find the wisdom and courage you need to succeed. To _lead_. That is something no First Order, no dark side of the Force, can ever take away from you."

Rey nodded, a smile still spread across her face as she ignored the single tear trickling down her cheek. 

"We stand by your side, Rey," Leia affirmed, wholeheartedly. "You're not alone anymore. You're part of something much bigger. A crucial part. You, just as you are. Do you understand?" 

Rey felt all of the anxious tension and frustration that had plagued her during training ebb away, as her master's words settled into her bones. She nodded, _family_ still echoing in her mind and heart. 

"I do."

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song We Are One from the (seriously underappreciated) Lion King 2 soundtrack.


End file.
